Google Pixel 7 Pro’s Display Draining Its Battery Faster: Report

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones are finally reaching customers in India, but there seem to be a few problems with the Pixel 7 Pro. The recently reported issues seem to be connected with the display in particular and as per a report, it only appears to affect the Pixel 7 Pro. The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO AMOLED display that offers 120Hz refresh rate and 1,500nits peak brightness. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 gets a 6.3-inch full-HD+ AMOLED panel with 90Hz refresh rate.

A report by XDA points out how the Pixel 7 Pro’s display is a bit of a power hog. The report mentions that the Pixel 7 Pro’s 6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO AMOLED panel draws more power than expected leading to the battery depleting faster. This according to the source happens primarily when the smartphone is used outdoors where the ambient light sensor cranks up the display’s brightness. The Pixel 7 Pro’s display consumes about 3.5-4W at 600 nits, which is around half the brightness levels that the display is capable of. In high-brightness mode, which is around 1000 nits, the display consumes 6W. Samsung’s Galaxy S22+ in comparison consumes 2W at 600 nits and 4W at 1000 nits.

Gadgets 360’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro review units are still undergoing testing. But we can confirm that we have noticed battery drain issues with the bigger Pixel 7 Pro, which is lasting just a day with casual use (minimal camera and gaming usage).

A tweet by Prasad Naik also pointed out another display-related issue. His tweet explains how the display remains active for several milliseconds even after the smartphone has been locked. The display remaining active under the lock screen leads to random apps getting launched. So, users may find random apps opened up every time they unlock their smartphone.

Gadgets 360 can confirm this issue exists with our review unit as well. We can also confirm that the issue with the display remaining active exists on our Pixel 7 review unit as well. The issue seems to be triggered during the lock animation, when the screen remains active for a few milliseconds till the fade out lock screen animation is complete. It isn’t clear whether both issues will be addressed by Google in a software update, but we have reached out to Google for comment.

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones went on sale in India yesterday. They are the first premium smartphones from Google to reach India after a four-year gap. The Pixel 7 is available at Rs. 59,999, while the bigger Pixel 7 Pro is available at Rs. 84,999 on Flipkart.